Gene Simmons takes Full Blame for Biggest KISS Flop

Gene Simmons must be getting soft in his old age. The normally-braggadocios KISS bassist has taken full responsibility for the failure of the band’s “Music from ‘The Elder'” album

The 1981 concept project — which marked guitarist Ace Frehley’s final effort and drummer Eric Carr’s first — has drawn oodles of criticism over the years, with one rock critic calling it “one of the worst albums ever created.” And Simmons says he doesn’t disagree with the assessment. “I take full blame,” he says, noting the title came from an unproduced “semi-script” for a movie he wrote on a hotel napkin.

Simmons continues, “In hindsight, it was an interesting mistake. We all were sort of thinking, ‘The Who are the threat, and they have ‘Tommy.’ The Beatles had ‘Sgt. Pepper.’ Why can’t we have ‘The Elder?'”